I'm glad that illegal immigrants won't be denied the right to education. Even though they are ILLEGAL immigrants I'd rather have a group of educated people contributing to the economy rather than a bunch of uneducated ruffians starting crime in the future. People tend to not look at the big picture in the long run.
I don't like the constant use of illegal in the discourse or this article, and I do have to point out that most of the students who will benefit from this act came here as babies and children and although they are undocumented, many of them consider America the only home they have. I have worked with many students in NYC who would benefit from such an act in this state, and their education has been absolutely stunted and curtailed due to their status through no fault of their own.
A lot of these "illegal" immigrants who will benefit from the Dream Act came to the United States as children, toddlers and babies. These people are not "illegal". They came with their parents, who entered the country without documentation. Many times, they may not even realize they are not U.S. citizens until it's time to go to school, or get a driver's license or go to college.
And undocumented workers/people already contribute far more to the local, state and federal economy than most people are willing to give them credit for.
Also, at least in my experience with undocumented students, many of them are terrified of trying to get residency/citizenship on their own for fear that their parents will be deported in the process, so instead they opt not to continue their education to keep their parents safe.
Or oftentimes they are aware of their status from a young age and have a bleak outlook on their future, so they don't try as hard, cut class, and eventually drop out, because they don't see the point in continuing when they know they will not be able to get aid or they will be unable to go through the steps (acquiring valid ID, etc) to go to school. And really, I can't blame them in this xenophobic climate.
The majority of my most truant students who eventually dropped out were kids who were well aware of their status, who, when you talked to them about their extreme absenteeism and lack of focus, responded, "I don't want to be here, I just want to work." The only way they could reconcile having no hope and no choices was to get menial, under-the-table jobs early, because they knew they would be unable to go to college. Higher education was closed to them basically, so why bother showing up to high school.
There were also other kids who were unaware of their status but you knew by the stories they told, and you didn't know whether to confront the issue with them or not (I mostly didn't because it was so heartbreaking), you just KNEW they were going to hit a wall eventually.
The cycle of poverty I understand but when I said "growing up to be uneducated ruffians" I mean that have enough problems with crime,gangs, drug trafficking in general with Mexico (the majority of illegal immigrants come from Mexico) and the last thing this country needs are undocumented immigrants who turn to a life of crime because they have few options. Mexico has a ragind drug war going on right now with serious gang issues. I don't want an uneducated illegal mexican immigrant joining a drug cartel over going to school. Educated people, undocumented or legal citzens is beneficial in the long run to the economy of both Mexico and the US.
I don't think undocumented immigrants with no options are any more likely to turn to crime than impoverished U.S. citizens who have no options. And with that said, most of these people came here as very young children; if they turn to a life of crime, it's generally NOT going to be in Mexico. They don't even identify Mexico as a home; their home is in the U.S., so the crime would be here.
I'm not really sure what you are getting at. The problem is not undocumented immigrants; it's lack of access to education and a way to legally support oneself and one's family. That happens regardless of citizenship status in the U.S.
I'm not referring to people who have lived here their whole lives but more the problem of people coming here currently who have ties to drug cartels and gangs. There are some immigrants who get paid to be a drug mule or some who have a family member who is in a gang and did them a favor to get them over the border. There is a mjor problem with drug wars in Mexico currently and drug cartels and the U.S. has been been trying in vain to stop it from spilling over across the border. It's part of the reason why the U.S. is trying to become so stringent on immigration control.
I'm not referring to people who have lived here their whole lives but more the problem of people coming here currently who have ties to drug cartels and gangs.
But we're not talking about them. The DREAM Act wouldn't help them. That aside, what percentage of Mexican immigrants do you think has ties to drug cartels?
There are some immigrants who get paid to be a drug mule or some who have a family member who is in a gang and did them a favor to get them over the border.If people become drug mules, it's because they are desperate. It's not like it pays millions, and you become a peon in a very dangerous world who is expected to hide packets of drugs inside of your body, knowing that they could potentially burst and sicken or kill you, and getting medical attention is nigh impossible because you'll get caught. You also face reprisals by rival drug gangs. Again, these are not things people do for shits and giggles; they do them because they need to feed their families. They have no other options
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I'd like to see your statistics for how many Mexican immigrants who come here to live have ties to drug cartels. But I have a feeling the sources are going to be "the movies" and "my own baseless assumptions".
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A lot of these "illegal" immigrants who will benefit from the Dream Act came to the United States as children, toddlers and babies. These people are not "illegal". They came with their parents, who entered the country without documentation. Many times, they may not even realize they are not U.S. citizens until it's time to go to school, or get a driver's license or go to college.
And undocumented workers/people already contribute far more to the local, state and federal economy than most people are willing to give them credit for.
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Or oftentimes they are aware of their status from a young age and have a bleak outlook on their future, so they don't try as hard, cut class, and eventually drop out, because they don't see the point in continuing when they know they will not be able to get aid or they will be unable to go through the steps (acquiring valid ID, etc) to go to school. And really, I can't blame them in this xenophobic climate.
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There were also other kids who were unaware of their status but you knew by the stories they told, and you didn't know whether to confront the issue with them or not (I mostly didn't because it was so heartbreaking), you just KNEW they were going to hit a wall eventually.
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I'm not really sure what you are getting at. The problem is not undocumented immigrants; it's lack of access to education and a way to legally support oneself and one's family. That happens regardless of citizenship status in the U.S.
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But we're not talking about them. The DREAM Act wouldn't help them. That aside, what percentage of Mexican immigrants do you think has ties to drug cartels?
There are some immigrants who get paid to be a drug mule or some who have a family member who is in a gang and did them a favor to get them over the border.If people become drug mules, it's because they are desperate. It's not like it pays millions, and you become a peon in a very dangerous world who is expected to hide packets of drugs inside of your body, knowing that they could potentially burst and sicken or kill you, and getting medical attention is nigh impossible because you'll get caught. You also face reprisals by rival drug gangs. Again, these are not things people do for shits and giggles; they do them because they need to feed their families. They have no other options ( ... )
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All of them. Didn't you know?
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